Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things anyone has to go through, but it can be made even harder if you're left to feel like you don’t have the support you need to get through it.
Unfortunately, this was how the family of Private Jamie Lee Sawyer were left to feel by the Military of Defence after he lost his life on a kayak training exercise while deployed in Cyprus.
Tracy, Jamie’s mother, called our Military Injury team following the pre-inquest she attended without legal representation. Regrettably, it's often the case that families are advised that legal support won’t be necessary if a loved one was lost in circumstances other than on the front line. However, Jamie’s family had a very different experience and she quickly discovered that she would need help going through the mountains of legal documents and facing barristers in the coroner’s court.
Feeling hopeless and lost, Tracy was oblivious to the tough challenges ahead; experienced barristers, a foreign criminal case and a civil claim all stemming from the death of her son. Tracy felt a lack of compassion towards herself and the rest of her family throughout the whole process and says: “All I wanted to know was the truth. I didn’t understand why everyone was being arrogant and rude. My son had died while serving his country and I felt that the least we deserved was respect”.
The coroner found that Jamie died from asphyxia in March 2015 due to sea water drowning which was contributed to by the MoD’s failure to adequately assess the weather forecast and ensure risk assessments covered specific hazards.
While the inquest was taking place in the UK, Tracy was told by the visiting officer that the instructor of the course had been arrested in Cyprus as a result of Jamie’s death.
Fortunately, we were able to provide emotional support while she was facing multiple legal processes that can be daunting to anyone, let alone when grieving for a loved one.
The instructor of the kayaking exercise was found not guilty in the Cypriot Crown Court which was heart-breaking news for Jamie’s family. Even though nothing will bring Jamie back, we were successful in securing a six-figure settlement which allowed them to feel like some justice had been done as they try to move forward without their beloved son and big brother.
Throughout Tracy’s fight for justice she’s faced many challenges and, from her experience, has set up a social media support group to provide compassion and guidance to other families going through a similar process.
It’s vital for families to feel they have the truth behind a loved one’s death, as well as knowing that lessons have been learnt to decrease the number of deaths in our Armed Forces.
"I felt that I couldn’t talk to the charities out there about what I was going through; sometimes you just do not have the emotional strength to have to explain it to yet another person. My aim is to create a safe space for people to ask any questions that cross their mind and be able to point people in the right direction to get the justice they deserve. I told my Jamie that I wouldn't give up and with emotional and legal support from Irwin Mitchell I was able to get some kind of justice."
Tracy
Jamie's mother
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